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SSCP · Question #1295

Which of the following DoS attacks use ICMP? (Choose two)

The correct answer is B. Smurf attack C. Ping of death. Both the Smurf attack and the Ping of Death are types of Denial of Service (DoS) attacks that exploit the Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) to overwhelm a target.

Submitted by lars.no· Apr 18, 2026Network and Communications Security

Question

Which of the following DoS attacks use ICMP? (Choose two)

Options

  • ASYN attack
  • BSmurf attack
  • CPing of death
  • DUDP flood
  • ENMAP

How the community answered

(27 responses)
  • A
    4% (1)
  • B
    85% (23)
  • D
    4% (1)
  • E
    7% (2)

Why each option

Both the Smurf attack and the Ping of Death are types of Denial of Service (DoS) attacks that exploit the Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) to overwhelm a target.

ASYN attack

A SYN attack (or SYN flood) is a DoS attack that exploits the TCP three-way handshake, not ICMP, by sending a flood of SYN requests without completing the handshake.

BSmurf attackCorrect

A Smurf attack leverages ICMP echo requests (pings) directed to a network's broadcast address with a spoofed source IP of the target, causing all hosts on that network to reply to the victim, flooding it with ICMP echo replies.

CPing of deathCorrect

A Ping of Death attack involves sending an oversized or malformed ICMP packet to a target, which can cause the target system to crash or freeze when it attempts to reassemble the fragmented packet.

DUDP flood

A UDP flood is a DoS attack that sends a large number of UDP packets to random ports on a target, aiming to overwhelm the system's ability to process them, and does not specifically use ICMP.

ENMAP

NMAP (Network Mapper) is a network scanner used for discovery and security auditing, not a type of DoS attack itself, although it can be used for reconnaissance prior to an attack.

Concept tested: ICMP-based DoS attacks

Source: https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/switches/lan/catalyst6500/ios/12-2SX/configuration/guide/Config_Guide_12-2SX_book/dos.html

Topics

#DoS attacks#ICMP attacks#Network security#Attack types

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